Certain furanone compounds and lactam analogues of furanone compounds have been shown to have antibacterial properties and are described, for instance, in WO 99/54323 and WO 2004/016588.
The present inventors have found new synthetic approaches which allow them to access novel classes of furanone compounds and lactam analogues thereof. These compounds have antibacterial properties and have been shown to have efficacy in the inhibition of biofilms and expression of virulence.